Sculpture
FLEUR GRENIER
Fleur designs and makes pewter sculptures to enhance and add intrigue to people’s homes or public spaces, she enjoys creating functional or decorative pieces that work with the fluid, warm tactile qualities of the pewter.
The natural environment plays a significant role in Fleur's artistic inspiration Her recent series of artworks are entitled "Hidden Botanicals" and "Home," exemplifying her exploration of these themes
Her focus is to create work that keeps evolving, challenging the material and herself This may involve learning new skills or working with different materials, but never allowing a lack of knowledge with a process restrict her work she would rather satisfy that innate feeling within her to continuously learn and create, which in turn enables her to continue to be an innovator and leader in her field
Having completed an M A at The Royal College of Art on the Jewellery and silversmithing course, Fleur developed her practice designing and making sculptural functional pewter for the home, as well as her art pieces.
Fleurs skills and strengths lie in working with pewter, as this is the medium she has used for 30 years.
In November 2014 Fleur was invited to The Worshipful Company of Pewterers to strike her mark at a touchmark ceremony. The Worshipful Company of Pewterers was established in 1478 to take control of the expanding pewter trade. On completing an apprenticeship, pewterers were required to register a ‘touchmark‘ to be stamped on their wares, which had to meet set standards of quality
The ceremony is now for makers to register their marks so future generations can identify their pewter pieces Fleur stamped her ,mark onto a pewter sheet in front of the court and now feels very honoured to have her touchmark alongside the many other pewtersmiths from the last 500 years.
This signature touchmark is now used on all of her sculptures
HIDDEN BOTANICALS
An exploration of nature and pewter as a medium, preserving and protecting a moment in time. Using leaves, fern fronds, seeds and lichen collected from the woodland floor.
Each piece pushes the boundaries of pewter, using its intrinsic properties to create one off sculptural pieces.
Through experimentation and play Fleur developed this unique process combining botanicals, some dried, others preserved in glycerine, or such as the lichen, left in their natural state with the molten pewter.
COMBINE THE ESSENCE OF NATURE AND ART WITHIN YOUR HOME.
HIDDEN BOTANICALS
In the "Woodland Floor" pieces, elements of preserved ferns and lichen adorn twigs to create a unique piece of art.
The lichen, renowned for its resilience to extreme temperatures, thrives even after molten pewter is poured around it.
This remarkable quality allows it to continue growing if misted with water, making "Woodland Floor" not just a static creation, but a living work of art that evolves over time
HOME SERIES
‘Home gives us a feeling of belonging no matter whom or what we are, whether it is a house, habitat, nest or ocean. It is a place to feel safe, comfortable, connected or part of a community.’
Harmony in Labour
The structured cells become home for the worker bees, all working together to create a harmonious colony of liquid gold. They do all the work to keep their hive happy, healthy, and productive.
Material: Pewter, 24ct gold leaf, coloured cast concrete, glass bees made by Elizabeth Welch. 2024
Collect 2023, Ruup & Form, London.
Inspired by a line of Leafcutter ants marching back to their nest carrying brightly coloured petals and leaves as they fulfilled their task, working in harmony, farming and collecting food to feed the rest of the colony.
Fleur wanted Homeward and Infinite Trails to become part of the home or space where it was positioned, with the leafcutter ants nest appearing to be constructed in the wall or on the surface it is placed. Creating an affinity between the sculpture and the space.
SILK SPANGLE GALL
The silk spangle gall is home to the gall wasp larvae
Carefully hidden away on the underside of oak leaves, this delicate balance of protection and nourishment within the silk spangle gall highlights the remarkable relationship between the gall wasp larvae and the Oak tree.
The beautiful, delicate form protects the larvae; it is ‘Home’ giving nourishment and protection until they are ready to thrive and emerge in the spring
Materials: Pewter and Coloured Cast Concrete
GYRATING WHIRLIGIGS
The pond, lake or stream is the ‘Home’ of the whirligig beetle. Found in groups gliding and gyrating over the water, their synchronized motion produces a mesmerizing display as they create beautiful patterns, rippling away as capillary waves
Astonishingly aware of their surroundings, these beetles are ever-vigilant, ever-hunting, their keen senses attuned to the slightest disturbance on the water’s surface. Quickly and effortlessly, they move across the surface doing 50 – 60 strokes per second, without ever bumping into another beetle always aware of each other and their surroundings as they hunt their prey.
Designed to be placed in any size space, either as a single piece or part of a larger group to create an intriguing feature in your home, office or public space.
Collect 2023, exhibited with Ruup and form, London
NEW LIFE
The wondrous cycle of life that unfurls before our very eyes! In the tranquil refuge of Fleur’s garden pond, nestled along the edge, frogspawn develops, hidden by the beautiful bright yellow flowers and large scalloped leaves of the Marsh Marigold. The spawn grew and matured within their sheltered ‘Home’ until fully developed and ready to emerge as young tadpoles.
In 2020, like most people, Fleur spent a lot of time at home or in her garden This was a creative time for her sculptural work, she had time to really observe and develop her pieces and New Life was the outcome of the many hours spent not only observing but also working through technical challenges and making processes to create this final piece
She commissioned Elizabeth Welch, a glass lamp worker, to make the frogspawn in glass, which she then modelled into a shell to surround it to before casting in pewter. This helped the light reflect through the glass, creating that soft sparkle, but also caused the ripple of water around the frogspawn that you see around the eggs
Materials: Pewter, Coloured Cast Concrete, Steel, Glass
SHORE CRAB
Calmly nestling amongst the rocks and seaweed the shore crab makes the coastal rock pools its 'Home'
Living so close to the beach has meant that it always has a big influence on Fleur’s daily life whether it is space to think or literally, such as this piece, developed from observing the shore crabs moving around the small rock pools when the tide was out
Creating a space for it to observe, feed and rest. Hiding amongst the seaweed, mussels and limpets.
Materials: Pewter, Coloured Cast Concrete 2019
SPINNING WHIRLIGIGS
The pond or stream is the home of the whirligig beetle found in groups spiralling and gyrating, creating beautiful rippled patterns on the surface of the water.
Constantly moving, but always aware of each other and their surroundings as they hunt their prey
Materials: Pewter, cast concrete and Oak.
WINKLE ISLAND
A section of the beach where Fleur lives in Littlehampton, W Sussex is known as ‘winkle island’ by locals.
It is a simple mound of shingle that is covered in winkles, each time the tide retreats 1000’s of these little molluscs make their way back to the island leaving a trail in the sand marking the route they have taken.
This piece has been designed and made to highlight the paths they have travelled to get back home.
Materials: Pewter, cast concrete and Oak 2019
Glassblowing
For a three year period Fleur began to learn glassblowing and how to combine it with the pewter. It was such an exciting skill to learn as it not only added an element of colour to the work, but the fluidity of it as a material created a harmonious connection with the pewter.
Cephalopod
The fluidity of the glass captures the movement of the octopus as it glides through the water.
Materials: Pewter and Handblown Glass
2017
MARIS
Living very near to the beach this often has a big influence on Fleur’s work.
The Maris collection developed from a series of drawings of bladderack seaweed capturing the flowing line which it never loses whether it is lay on the beach or being carried by the waves.
Materials: Pewter and Handblown Glass 2019
LAVA
Using the intensity of the lava as it slowly moves and envelops objects in its path. Fleur used this as inspiratioin for her Lava series. Making it unclear whether it is the pewter enveloping the glass or the glass flowing over the pewter
Materials: Handblown glass and Pewter.
Childhood Games
This series was inspired by the games we played as a child and bringing them back to us as an adult to experience again.
Bilston Gallery, More Than Floral exhibition. Curated by Alison Milner 2011
Six-er
The conker has a very tactile quality, even with the pointed spikes on the shell you want to pick them up and handle them. Every Autumn Fleur’s workshop windowsill will have a few conkers added to it, still looking for the perfect winning one!
Materials: Pewter, Teak and Felt
30xm x35cm x 26cm
2012
DO YOU LIKE BUTTER?
As a child Fleur lovedhow the buttercup would reflect a golden glow onto your chin when you held the flower underneath it, to see if you liked butter.
This piece is designed so an adult or child can stand in front of one of the flowers & when there face is near, the gold plate reflects a bright golden glow onto each of their faces
Materials: Pewter, 18ct Goldplate and Steel 2011
FIND THE FOUR LEAF LOVER.
Always Looking for that elusive lucky four leafed clover! This interactive piece was made on a lightbox creating multiple dynamic sillouettes of the clover leaves using the positve and negative shapes.
The viewer of the piece has to find were the flour leaf clover is hidden
Materials: Lightbox, Pewter and Steel 2011
TIME STANDS STILL
The Dandelion Clock, gently blowing away the seeds to find out the time, not always the most accurate but certainly the most fun!
Materials: Pewter, Walnut, 3d Printed Plastic and Steel 2008
Following a trip volunteering in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, Fleur was so inspired by the wildlife and plants that she had seen, that she had to use the photos and drawings that she had done while on the trip when she returned back to the UK.
She wanted to bring the beauty that she had seen in the forest back for others to enjoy and appreciate.
Rainforest Light
Inspired by the fungi on a branch with the morning dew, Fleur created this light to fill the room when lit with the silloette of each mushroom, bringing the rainforest back into the room when lit.
Melted tin paste on the branches recreated the glistening dew as it captured the light
Materials: Pewter, tinpaste, steel and walnut wood. 2006.
Lacewing Nest
You can find the most beautiful things when you take time to look more closely.
Lifting a banana leaf Fleur happened to come across this delicate structure a Lace wing eggs.
Protected on the stalks stuck to the underside of the leaf, and gently moving in the breeze, its exact precision of where each stem was methodicallys placed.
Material: Pewter, Steel and Walnut.
